


Give Me A Boat

by kyburg



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Capsaicin, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Fix-It, Gen, Iron Man 3 Compliant, Pepperony - Freeform, There I Fixed It, under the radar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 06:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8962357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyburg/pseuds/kyburg
Summary: When you least expect it, expect it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fix-it I've had working in the back of my head since CA:CW - and while I could keep tinkering on it, it needs to get posted before more time passes. Enjoy!

_There is a ship and it sails on the sea  
loaded deep as deep can be_

_But not as deep as the love I'm in  
I know not how I sink or swim_

 

"What...are _you_ doing here?"

Turning a key in the lock of the front door of Clint Barton's house, the last thing Steve Rogers had been expecting was a hasty turn of the knob from inside with a female voice calling "Just a minute!" from inside before pulling the door open, revealing herself with a cheerleader smile on her dusty face.

Not Laura Barton. Not even her daughter. Up to that point, he had assumed he was alone but finding Clint's family at home would have been welcome. But on approach to the farm by motorcycle, he hadn't been alerted to any other people. No vehicles, nobody in the yard. Alone, and silent. Until now, however. And he wasn't exactly certain what his response was going to be.

She was tall, tall enough to look him in the eye with a face as freckled by the sun as his own, slender as a reed dressed in working clothes of denim and plaid, dirty from head to toe, her hair hastily pulled back with tendrils curling around her face in spirals of pure flaming red.

Smiling, happy to see him with eyes green as grass and sparkling with laughter in the face of his confusion, Pepper Potts. Watching his face fall, her response was to cock an eyebrow but when she looked down at the keys in his hand, her head bobbed a quick staccato in recognition.

"Oh, those are Clint's keys." Reaching back into both back pockets of her jeans, Pepper brought forth a set of keys in each hand, pro-offering them to him, jingling in the silence. "Laura's keys. _Natasha's_ keys, " she intoned. "Laura and the kids are on their way to Clint in Wakanda, Steve. What, did Clint send you to pick up a few things? He didn't know. No, no of course he didn't -

Her expression darkened when he didn't immediately move to accept them. "He's not here. Just me."

Accepting the offering in confused silence, it was clear she didn't intend any harm but wasn't offering much more than what credentials he already had. Stepping back, she opened the door wider. "Maybe you need to come in and see this for yourself. I can explain, but we don't have much time. Ross is on the way to take this place apart, and I intend to have it emptied and leveled to the ground before he can."

"Ross? I wish I could be surprised. What - "

_"Will you hurry up?_ Oh, honestly. Between Natasha's data dump when SHIELD fell and the Sokovia Accords actually going forward, did you think this was going to stay a well-guarded secret? Tony caught wind of it, I told Natasha -

Allowing him to follow her into the house, Pepper strode back into the kitchen still talking as Steve found himself standing in the living room, turning in horror at what he found. He'd expected Laura, he'd expected to find kids playing, but this?

Empty, not even carpets left on the floors, bare walls showing shadows of where pictures had hung on them. Looking up, even the light fixtures were gone, the curtains and window treatments also missing. Then, like a host of shadows, a cadre of movers laden with boxes swiftly moved past him into the kitchen, all dressed in the same canvas overalls and steel-toed work boots, not even noticing he was there as they went.

"...and we bought the house out from under him. Lock, stock and barrel, he doesn't get a say in the matter. Ross is not getting Clint's family, or his house." Pepper continued to chatter on, not even looking back to see if he had followed her or was even listening to her. "Clint's in Wakanda, Steve. We already knew. Laura and the kids are on their way there by private charter, Natasha is on her way as well...and once I put the last of the kitchen cabinets in boxes, I'll be gone too. You're in luck, actually. You almost missed us. _Come on Steve, keep up - in here."_

Stung, he did what was expected of him, feeling more and more at a loss. Following her voice into the kitchen, Steve was greeted by much the same sight. Cabinets were open, empty. The kitchen table remained with two chairs, packing boxes open on top and to the sides. As he watched, Pepper kept moving, pulling dishes from the one cabinet that still contained them, wrapping them in brown paper and nestling them neatly into an open box. Walking in, Steve took the ball cap he was wearing off, holding it between his hands almost in contrition, clearing his throat. "Aren't you going to call me in? You'll forgive me if I'm - "

"Oh honey," she said coolly, with a hint of an edge in her voice. 'I've already forgiven you for anything you've done, or might do." Stopping from her work, she raised her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "Look, I'm doing my best, apologies and all that but there's no time for Emily Post and tea parties. I get it. You have questions - you should, I have answers. No, I'm not going to turn you in. Whatever for." She stopped and took an appraising look at him, her eyes actually moving to look at him, head to toe. A small frown appeared on her face. "I also have leftovers. You've come a long way, I can see that. I was going to take the groceries out of the kitchen to a food bank in town, but with you here, I might not have to. Tell you what. I talk, you eat and maybe we'll both come out ahead. You weren't expecting this? Twelve hours ago, neither was I. Yes, I've gotten this house packed up within the last twelve hours, you'd be amazed what money and former SHIELD agents can do, properly motivated. 

Finishing up her task at hand, she extended a hand to him. "Did Clint give you a list? Come on, Steve. Say something, hand it over or whatever. We need to get this done."

He'd had a march stolen on him by Tony's camp and as annoying as it should have been, he found himself impressed at the same time. Maria Hill, he knew had been scooped up by Stark Industries so the idea Pepper had done the same with the rest of SHIELD shouldn't have come as a surprise. He pulled out the folded piece of paper from the inside of his jacket, allowing himself a moment to gather his thoughts. "As I was trying to say, this is all very strange...Ms. Potts."

"You have no idea," she murmured.

She took the little piece of hotel notepaper from him with both speed and gentleness, unfolded and held it between two hands with torn fingernails, paper cuts and scrapes across the backs, with a few of the fingertips covered in bandages. All of Steve's memories were of a woman so crisply perfect and polished, it had made Peggy Carter look bohemian by comparison. But not today - while it was clearly Pepper, she was filthy, battered and barely groomed. "Oh, Clint." A hand went to her mouth, her eyes suddenly too bright as she quickly moved to the table, pushing the tablet resting there towards him. "Here, this is where everything is. All of it is already on its way, Steve. These are the crate numbers they're in, and the inventories of each one. I'll let you have this one to take with you, I can get another pad later. There isn't anything on it you can't know, anyway.

He took the tablet albeit nonplussed, meeting eyes that were suddenly as sad as he ever wanted to see. "And it's Pepper. I'm not the enemy, Steve. But there's no time. I am so out of time!" she said, hands fluttering in the air, coming to rest as balled fists at her sides, her customary calm as fleeting as the wind. Clearly he was as much a surprise to her as she had been to him, Steve realized but she was working harder to cover it, and to her credit, she wasn't nearly as sharp as he knew Tony Stark would have been. It wasn't impatience making her curt, it was panic and she was doing her best to ride it out.

As he took the tablet from her, she quickly demonstrated how to search the manifests to find what Clint had sent him for, and sure enough - every item had a tag, an ID and was contained within both carton, pallet and container within the shipment. "The only thing I can't ship to them is the house, Steve. I don't have time to take it apart and ship them the pieces. I can keep the real estate in trust for Clint and his family, but I can't keep the house from being destroyed. I'm sorry. Tell him, I am so sorry."

Turning quickly to open the last cabinet, Pepper brought down both a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread, then opened the refrigerator and fished out the jelly, making four sandwiches as he watched with a spoon instead of a knife, plating them with the contents oozing out around the edges. Placing a glass, and a gallon jug of milk in front of him, then the plate of sandwiches, she went back to the refrigerator and opened the crisper bins and put the few apples, oranges and plums into a bowl and did the same with it. She gave the inside of the refrigerator another cursory look, checking to see what was left before closing the door again.

"Laura's keys. Natasha's keys. Here, maybe I can take the doorknob off the door and send that along to go with them. Please eat." Hugging herself, she leaned against the kitchen sink and looked off into the distance, biting her lip. "I knew he'd want those things, I knew it. Tony thinks I'm crazy for giving a damn, but - " Hissing the end of the sentence, she went back to wrapping and packing the last of the contents of the kitchen cupboards and drawers.

The last meal had indeed been what the airplane had on board, and even that was hours ago when he left the plane behind for his motorcycle. Giving the manifest one more look, he closed down the list and picked up a sandwich, but before he took the first bite, he looked up to meet Pepper's gaze. "Tony knows you're here? I'm going - I'm doing - _all right_ \- but." Blowing air, he gave up on trying to be politic, it wasn't happening. "There's no way this will sound good. You're not supposed to be here. You aren't even supposed to know about this place. And you're telling me Tony knows you're here? You here on his behalf? Tony said you were through -"

_"Eat."_ The eyes got hard and flinty, her mouth flattening to a thin line. "I know what Tony said." Doing a fast sweep through an entire wall of cupboards, Pepper gently closed all of them, now empty, then turned to look at him as one battered finger wiped a tear away from her cheek as her smile returned, as fleeting as the bite in her voice. "I seriously doubt he said "through," run it back through your memory again. Be precise. What exactly did Tony say? Think. I have to live and die by those words."

Chilled, he swallowed hard, he did what she asked and repeated what he remembered. "That you were taking a break, that he - "

"Took all the blame, right? Said it was all his fault, things like that?" A little head-cock accompanied the questions, almost as if she was amused. "Yes, to answer your question - that's true. We're not together right now. We can't be but it's not his fault. We're not fighting. And while I suspect I know the list of complaints he cited as reasons, I'm surprised you don't know chaff when you see it. Tony loves me, Steve. He's going to protect me. There's much more at stake than what people think of us, but having a lover's spat really does divert attention, doesn't it?"

Staring at the food he hadn't eaten yet, she raised an eyebrow for him to continue. "Steve - and I am going to call you Steve. Captain Rogers isn't accurate anymore and Mister Rogers is even worse - I believe in my heart of hearts, you make good decisions when you have good information. You don't intentionally do harm. And you did the best you could with what you knew. I meant it - I do forgive you." Scanning the room, Steve sensed she mentally calculating her next steps, not entirely focused on him. "When you don't even have diplomatic relations with someone, things get missed. You didn't know. Some things that aren't even safe to discuss. They come up, you have to work them - but. Because they didn't worked, things got terrible. And that's all, as inadequate as hell as that sounds."

"Hey." Watching her scan the room again, her voice trailing off, Steve tossed her an apple as he began on the bowl of fruit. "Thought I'd been in the loop on anything Tony had on his plate - " His voice trailed off as Pepper stifled a harsh laugh into one hand, then waved it away. "Something I wasn't told, Ms. Potts? You'll forgive me the lack of surprise if that's so."

She caught the apple easily, eyes brightening. "Not at all. With the amount of things not said that caused this - " There, a long-fingered hand twirled in the air, indicating the whole house, "All this - maybe you would be more interested in what never reached you. Ever. Or maybe it did, but you never noticed." Looking under the sink, and then into more cupboards across the room, Pepper continued to swiftly wrap items in the brown paper sheets, placing them in the boxes she built from a stack in the corner, all the while watching to make sure Steve kept going through what little food there was left. "Maybe this will surprise you, maybe not - but did you ever consider the possibility the Sokovia Accords were intended to target Tony specifically, before they included the rest of you?

Build a box, wrap glasses, place in box. "Ross came to us first," she said bluntly. "Me, as CEO of Stark Industries, and then Tony, as well - whatever you want to call him, your friend? Co-Chair of the Avengers, founding member - whatever. After being confronted one too many times by family members impacted by Sokovia, he came to you instead of telling Ross to push off. Like he would have five years ago. Like he _did,_ five years ago - actually." 

Closing the box, she went to the pantry where it was fully stocked, top to bottom. "Clint did not mess around, did he." Sighing, she reached for anther box and began putting the canned goods in it. "Bringing Ross to you and the rest of the Avengers was the equivalent of getting run out of town, attempting to get out in front to make it look like a parade. Ross had been gunning for Tony for some time - having Banner at the Tower all this time was reason enough, and Ross acquired allies out of Sokovia, good thing you didn't know where Banner was, that would have been the first thing he'd have gotten, signature or no. Tony has a history with Ross, and Ultron just sealed the deal. After...other things.

"Please, eat. We don't have much time. I need to keep talking. And packing. Here, hope you like Pop-Tarts."

Steve was reasonably certain she'd started with the peanut butter to keep him busy, and silent. Watching how fast he was getting the food down, she took the moment to search the cabinets for more things to pack as more movers went silently around them, carrying boxes and pieces of furniture out of the house. With no real reason to interrupt her, regardless - it seemed wise to let her talk until she was finished.

"Ross brought the Accords, and while you had seven or so people to consider before agreeing or not agreeing, I'm the executive of a multi-national that employs thousands, and any impact on them would impact other companies, their families, more. Retire the Avengers? How about seizing Stark Industries? Don't look so shocked, it's happened before. Publicly held company, massive threat to society, seizure under Imminent Domain. We know the drill, but you didn't. You went about this your way, and while circumstances really worked towards making this as bad as it possibly could get - really, I'm surprised you'd think Tony would allow this, no questions asked, no quarter given. He mentioned amending it as soon as it was signed, didn't he?"

An open box of breakfast cereal made her stop mid-stream and her eyes misted over again. "But he had to get you on board, and he couldn't. Here. Can you do something with this? And this?"

She continued to good-naturedly curse Clint Barton's taste in snack foods, but those had been tears standing in her eyes and if they fell while she packed cartons, she didn't acknowledge it.

"This" had been a box of soda crackers, familiar in a way it shouldn't have been. A summer sausage and a jar of gerkins appeared shortly thereafter. "Why didn't he just say - " It was a plaint, and it sounded tired even to his own ears.

"Just hang on. He couldn't. And then it got personal and visible, and - look. This is my take on it, and while I could be wrong, I don't think so and you won't get this from anyone else. It's a lot to take on trust, so I won't ask you to. Just - this is what I know." Closing the pantry, she sighed and turned to look at him, scrubbing dirty hands on dirtier clothing. "Three parts, and the first involves Howard Stark. You met Tony's father, you worked with him and he worked ON you - and all that is fine, but you really didn't know the man, Steve. If you had, you wouldn't have tolerated him or I'm a very bad judge of character. There was someone else, though that both you and Tony knew, aside from his father - do you remember his assistant Edwin Jarvis?"

Having poured milk into the glass, he bolted a glass of it before he bobbed his head in a quick nod before speaking. "He was in the field with him - nice guy. Good man. Wait - "

"Yes, _that's Jarvis _...the inspiration and model for Tony's AI. JARVIS. I mention it because I'd like you to remember Edwin Jarvis instead of Howard Stark when you deal with Tony, it'll help. Howard didn't raise Tony. His mother and Howard's butler Edwin Jarvis did. Tony absolutely adored him, and when the poor man finally died when he was fourteen, it broke his heart."__

__More bread, now with slices of cheese and thick swipes of butter appeared as sandwiches in front of him. Making one of her own, Pepper leaned against the sink again as she methodically took one bite and swallowed it before talking, taking sips from a glass of water. "Here, I think there's at least one picture of them together - there." Swiping the manifest out of the way on the tablet, Pepper opened a folder of photographs that only contained a handful of files. Tapping one, it popped open to an old Kodachrome snapshot, the colors vibrant and dense - "That's them."_ _

__It was Tony, maybe eight years old who barely came up to the hip of an older man, tall and snowy-haired, what was left of it, hugging him for dear life, eyes closed but mouth open in a wide smile of absolute delight. The old man appeared stooped with age, clearly wearing the attire of a butler, white gloves and all, but with a gentle smile on his face as he looked towards the camera, a hand lightly resting on Tony's back. "There aren't many pictures of him at all, and this is the only one he'd tolerated be taken of them together. Maria is holding the camera." Turning away, Pepper went back to packing, preparing what she could throw together out of the remains of the pantry, munching aimlessly as she went, tossing boxes of crackers, cookies and the odd bag of chips on the table in front of Steve. "When that old man died, Tony insisted on going to his funeral, instead of attending some function his father wanted him to - and Howard had done that, you know. Scheduled something for the same time, not going - all that? He hated any competition, but that old man was Tony's favorite and he'd hated that. Howard could be petty and mean like that, Tony's childhood is littered with all kinds of proof of it."_ _

__Pepper's face became hard, her eyes going flinty again as they drifted off into midspace while she methodically took bites from an apple, one arm being held at the elbow by the other. "I discovered there was something of a timeline, and asked Tony about it once. According to Tony, he got home from the funeral, Howard was waiting for him, stone drunk and laid into him the moment he hit the door. Maria - was out. Thankfully. After telling Tony just what a lying little sneak of a dirty bastard he was for not showing up to his thing, Tony basically told him that if he was a lying little sneak of a dirty bastard it was because he was his bastard, so of course he was. Tony's told you he hated you growing up, hasn't he? Sure - okay, no don't talk, eat. We have to finish this up and get out of here. Just - listen, we won't get this chance again and I have a lot to tell you. Nobody talks about this, everyone who was there is dead now except for Tony and he still thinks it's his fault, somehow._ _

__"Howard threw you in his face. Said he wished Tony could be like you - so good, so honest and trustworthy and Tony had finally had enough. He'd just buried his best friend in the whole world, and he'd had enough. As Tony said to me, he stood up on his hind legs and told Howard that maybe things wouldn't be so bad if he was your son, instead of his. That if he was anybody's son - instead of his. And that he wished Howard was dead and forgotten instead of Edwin Jarvis - or you - and that's when Howard punched him in the face."_ _

__Finishing the apple, Pepper went to the kitchen door and heaved the core into the field beyond. "And then Tony broke Howard's nose and the next day, he was off to boarding school. Where Tony did everything in his power to be the biggest embarrassment he could make of himself to his father, thank God his mother never stopped loving him. Less than four years later, they're both dead and Tony is left all alone with only Obadiah Stane to keep things in check, and we all know what happened then."_ _

__She took the jar of peanut butter, noting all the bread was gone, screwed the lid on tightly and put the jar in a box. "But I'm not telling you that to garner sympathy for Tony, heaven forbid. I tell you that because when Howard sent Tony to boarding school, he did one more thing that still haunts us to this day, just to make sure we all knew who was in charge._ _

__"Up to that point, Stark Industries had been a privately-owned, family business. To keep Tony from inheriting anything Howard owned, Howard took the company public. Selling shares and installing a board of directors, shutting Tony completely out. It was pretty short-sighted, considering Howard died before Tony reached his majority. Whole thing could have been sold to the highest bidder, except the Board at that time didn't feel it was wise to do so. Thankfully, Tony came into his majority, took control of the company but he doesn't own it. He has to perpetually answer to a group of people don't like him very much. One of which almost killed him, can you believe that? Thanks, Howard."_ _

__Boxes of macaroni and cheese followed the peanut butter into the box, then more unopened boxes of breakfast cereal. "I tell you that to tell you this - Tony Stark is used to making his own way inside of rules and regulations put together by other people, playing the longest game of his life since he was still in his teens. If you thought for a second those Sokovia Accords were actually going to be implemented as they were presented to you, you don't know Tony at all. But since you wouldn't get on board with the idea whatsoever, you got what you got. I'm packing up a box of the things they don't have in Wakanda for Clint's kids to eat, and I am making sure every single thing in his house is getting sent to him... _including their baby books!"__ _

__Her voice breaking, Pepper quickly scrubbed hair away from her face as she went from cupboard to pantry, then cabinets to retrieve and pack anything she found there. "I'm sorry, but this whole mess should never have gone beyond you two, but it did and now look at what I'm doing! It's made refugees out of people who took you in, I'm putting their very lives into cardboard boxes. I'm very motivated to keep this from getting any worse, at least for them. It is...what it is. But, so help me Steve. If you think you were sparing anyone by not saying more, let me assure you._ _

__"You know nothing if you think Tony would let those accords go forward as they were proposed."_ _

__The table bare, nothing left to keep him busy or silent, Steve folded his hands on the table and looked up at Pepper with as much calm as he could muster. "Ms. Potts. That's exactly what I was told to do, and not just from Tony Stark. That's what Natasha thought, that's what the King of Wakanda expected of us, and it was what Ross was ordered to get from me. With all due respect, your bias is showing."_ _

__"I suppose it is. That's honest, I guess. One," and here she raised one battered index finger. "Those accords were never intended to go forward. But your team needed time, and the world was demanding accountability and Tony didn't have me, and he didn't have Banner and too many people kept coming forward to remind him he hadn't saved their world just yet. Tony is very, very mortal and aware he's twice your age, Steve - that's two. He's running out of time. I'd know because I get used to extend his reach, all the time._ _

__"I take orders well. That's why I'm still around. Tony's committed to sharing, fixing, helping, building - but the only people who actually get him...flesh and blood...are the Avengers. You guys. I run his company, I head up the philanthropic foundations, I write endless letters of sympathy and oversee every wish Tony ever had for the future. He can go off and be a hero with you guys, knowing I can keep the rest of his dreams, the ones he hopes will survive him - on track."_ _

___That doesn't sound fair,_ Steve thought but didn't say it aloud. As the silence lasted longer, she stopped waiting for him to speak and finished closing up the last of the boxes as more of the ubiquitous movers took them away. "You're here," she added abruptly. "You should know what there is to know. Maybe it was too obvious for anyone to realize it wasn't common knowledge, I'm willing to allow for that. How else could it have gone so damn wrong."_ _

__"Clint...didn't know his family was already on their way, Ms. Potts. I'm grateful." Standing as they removed both the table and the remaining chairs, finding himself mirroring Pepper as she looked around the room one more time to ensure nothing had been missed._ _

__"Thank Natasha Romanov, and don't take her for granted," she said absently, her mind clearly elsewhere. "That's everything. We have to go. Now."_ _

__And with that, she was out the kitchen door without looking backward to make sure Steve would follow her._ _

__"You need to move that motorcycle, Steve. See the trucks over there? Past them. Now."_ _

__He took the bike by the handlebars, but didn't get on or start it, and a crease appeared between Pepper's eyes as she noticed. "Okay, we say good bye, then. Right now. I told you Tony and I aren't together, but we're not fighting. Reasons. Well, here it is - "_ _

__Stepping forward to face him over the handlebars, she took hold of them between where he gripped them and looking him in the eye, walked him backward a number of paces, away from the house with a cold ferocity he didn't dare question. Then releasing the bike, she looked down at the ground as she stepped back herself, hands balling into fists as she did so._ _

__"Maybe someday, I'll meet that friend of yours - that Bucky? I wonder - did he ever ask if he was worth all this?"_ _

__The air suddenly went hot, and dry and began to swirl around Pepper - so quickly, Steve backed away in spite of himself and as he looked, fire began to trace itself under Pepper's skin where it was exposed by the shirt she was wearing, climbing up her throat and into her hair, leaving traceries behind across her brow and down to her fingertips. Then she raised her head and fire stood in her eyes as the tears fell, sizzling and disappearing into vapor as he watched. "Tony...would have understood, you see. There was more than one reason for those Accords, keeping control of them._ _

__"He has his own enhanced loved one to protect."_ _

__Her hair whipped into a froth by the hot air swirling around her, Pepper scanned the area to ensure everybody was clear before she turned and walked back to the house, all of the cuts and broken nails repairing themselves as Steve watched. Looking up at the house, she hesitated, one hand fisted to her chest as she gulped, ducking her chin before pushing the front door open and going inside._ _

___They are not going to have Clint's house._ _ _

__It exploded in a fiery twirl of splintered lumber that flew up but not outward before it came down in flames and embers around Pepper, a column of fire standing alone on the now cracked foundation._ _

__Then she turned to face him, her jaw set as she walked back. "Tell Clint...I am so sorry. I couldn't save the house. You need to leave, now."_ _

__"Will you be all right?" As he watched, the fires died and left her skin, her face. Healthy, unmarked skin took its place and the same wry grin reappeared in answer to his question. "Are you all right?"_ _

__"Such a gallant, after all this," she said quietly, shaking her head. "I'm - he can't protect me anymore, Steve."_ _

__"The one thing he couldn't live without."_ _

__She ducked her head, looking away. "So he said. So, we can't be together. It's the only way to keep me safe. You understand why, now."_ _

__The moving trucks started their engines, and as he turned to watch, one of the largest cargo planes Steve had ever seen and a quinjet decloaked in the fields beyond them, away from the burning ruin of the house. Like chicks following a mother hen, the trucks drove up in the ramp into the belly of the cargo plane while the ramp dropped from the back of the quinjet. Dimly, Steve thought he saw Maria Hill at the controls, and Happy Hogan waiting for Pepper on the ramp. "If you hurry, you can hitch a ride on the C-40 - it's going to Wakanda, non-stop...."_ _

__"And you?"_ _

__"Spitzbergen. Or someplace where once I leave the plane, I'll disappear where nobody can find me." Flicking some ashes from a sleeve, Pepper looked into the palm of her hand, then extended to Steve. "No hard feelings," she said softly, "Right?"_ _

__It was just a hand when Steve took it, and her grip was only firm and as no-nonsense as he remembered. "Shall I give them your regards?"_ _

__"Give them my love, as much as I have to spare."_ _

__"Right. Tony - " But she only shook her head._ _

__"You'll see him before I do, Steve."_ _

__To that, he had no answer. Letting him go, she took a step backward before running to the quinjet as fast as she could, the ramp closing behind her as its engines fluttered and whined as it lifted off - and then cloaked._ _

__Following her lead, he saw the column of troop transports as the cloaked cargo plane flew overhead. Ross would find only some burning outbuildings, but nothing more._ _

__It was a long, cold ride to Wakanda, sitting on a bench next to where they parked and strapped his motorcycle in. It surprised him not at all that specific diplomatic courtesies had been extended, and he was allowed to disembark along with the cargo into a flood of Wakandan ground crew waiting for the plane to berth after it landed in Birnin Zana._ _

__"She's not here, Nat. She didn't come." Steve couldn't be sure what had surprised Natasha Romanov more - that he had picked her out of the crowd, or that he hadn't brought Pepper along with him. "I don't know what the deal was, but she wasn't part of it. She's gone."_ _

__"She - I wanted her for Wanda," she said, dropping the scarf covering the lower part of her face. A small sigh, then she looked away as well. "Where did she go?"_ _

__"Away."_ _

__"Right."_ _

__"Did you know? About the - "_ _

__"Extremis. It has a name, and yes. I knew. Rhodes knows. Not many others. She's the only survivor of it, and Tony knows more about it now than its inventors...who are all dead. At least she's confident she can control it. Why did you think I knew Wanda was safe with Tony - "_ _

___Not like Bucky._ _ _

__In time, the Bartons unpacked all of the boxes and found all of the snack food Pepper had sent along as well as every cherished family heirloom from the house that no longer existed in a place nobody had known about._ _

__Pepper Potts remained the CEO of Stark Industries, but never appeared in public again. And every time he watched Wanda Maximoff deal with a public that feared her, Steve remembered - and wished._ _

__Wished the water wasn't so wide. And kept looking for a boat._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are desired, cherished and given good homes. Thanks for reading.


End file.
